Skanska has sold Maraton, a prestigious office building located in Poznan, Poland. The property has been acquired by a real estate fund managed by Union Investment. It is the second sales transaction between Skanska and Union Investment in the Polish regional markets. The first sale between the two companies was Dominikanski in Wroclaw. Maraton is Skanska's second office project in Poznan following Malta House.
This modern office with a flexible building layout is on the way to LEED Gold certification. It offers the best architectural innovations and is attractively located in the city's central business district – all this means that Maraton is one of the most prestigious newly-constructed office projects in Poznan. The property providing 26,000 m² GLA has now widened Union Investment's real estate portfolio.
“The activity of experienced international players in Poznan shows the growing maturity and liquidity of Poland's regional markets. After successful acquisition of Skanska’s Dominikanski office complex in Wroclaw in 2015, Union Investment has again selected one of our top-class office products. This decision proves the trust and good working relationship that has been established between our two companies,” says Adrian Karczewicz, Head of Divestments CEE at Skanska Commercial Development Europe.
“Our strategy for Poland involves broad diversification of our real estate portfolio. Poznan is our tenth investment location in the country,” said Martin Schellein, Head of Investment Management Europe at Union Investment Real Estate. “The Poznan office market has excellent growth prospects, so we are delighted to hold such a high-quality property in a central location.” Following this acquisition, Union Investment now holds 16 properties in Poland across the office, retail and hotel sectors with a total value of some €1.6bn.
Poznan – the capital of the Wielkopolska region – is among the biggest and fastest-developing cities in Poland. It is one of the country's leading regional office and investment markets, as well as a growing hub for the BPO/SSC sector. The economic data of the city is also impressive – it has one of the lowest unemployment rates and, after Warsaw, has the second highest GDP in Poland (over €18.000 GDP per capita). Global companies which have set up their operations here include such well-known international brands as: Volkswagen, Ikea, Enea, Carlsberg, Duni, Nivea, GlaxoSmithKline, Unilever, McKinsey.
The property with a total leasable area of over 26,000 m², has 6 storeys above ground and two below. It will obtain the LEED Gold certification in the near future. This modern property is equipped with 301 parking spaces, including places exclusively for electric cars. The property also benefits from a high profile design, high technical specifications, originality, highly innovative green technologies, and ultra-modern construction. Maraton is conveniently located in Poznan's city center, close to the Old Town. The property is within easy reach of Poznan's major arterial routes and is well-served by public transport.
During the sales process, Union Investment was advised by Colliers International, and Knight Frank acted as the exclusive agent for Skanska. Legal advisers for the transaction were Hogan Lovells for the purchaser and Dentons for the seller.
